Bloody Net-winged Beetle

This is an interesting photograph of a Bloody Net-winged Beetle that was taken at my favorite location for capturing insects, none other than Enchanted Forest Park, located in North Miami, Florida. I say interesting, because its skin reminds me of that of a strawberry! The gear used in this shoot was a Nikon D90 camera body to which a Nikkor 60mm 2.8 lens and macro light ring was attached.

Bloody Net-winged Beetles (Lycus sanguineus) are soft-bodied and mostly blood-red in color with black-tipped legs, black antennae, black eyes, and black-tipped elytra (modified forewings that serve as wing covers). Like other Lycids or members of the Net-winged Beetle Family (Lycidae), Bloody Net-winged Beetles have a netlike pattern of raised veins on their leathery elytra, a wide, flattened pronotum (the area behind the eyes), elongated mouthparts, and broad, flattened, often saw-toothed antennae.

Beetles of this family are elongated and usually found on flowers or stems. The adults of some species are nectarivores while some may have short-lived adult lives during which they may not feed at all. The head is triangular and the antennae are long, thick, and serrate. Most of them are brick-red in colour. They are protected from predators by being toxic.

I am an avid hiker, explorer and photographer living in Florida for the past 20+ years. I enjoy photographing all wildlife and that of the natural world.
Currently, I work a 9-5 as a profiler and graphics coordinator for a major online website, but at every opportunity, can be found somewhere traipsing about in the Everglades or in some wooded part of Florida and beyond, following game trails, and exploring new areas where man has least traveled.